May 27, 2009

Matchday: Champions League Final

It is impossible to overstate the magnitude of anticipation that many breathless fans have for today's Man U - Barca showdown in Rome. For those like us living to the west of Europe, fundamental questions essential to the meaning of our lives must be answered, such as:

Do I call in sick or "work from home"?; or

Go to a bar for a "long lunch" with similarly obsessed colleagues?

Here in Curmudgeonland, however, any excitement is tempered by the knowledge that these marquee matchups can turn out to be dull affairs, even when the likes of Messi and Ronaldo are on the field. This game could easily end up 1-0 or 0-0 after regulation, and not in an exciting way, either. Still and all, there are already some positives to look forward to:

We won't have to hear the cheesy Champions League music repeated ad nauseum for awhile; and

There's at least a 50-50 chance that we will get to see Christiano Ronaldo cry.

For what it's worth, DCU players and managers have chimed in with their predictions here.